This year the Women and Fair Trade Event will feature eight incredible fair trade vendors from different areas of the globe:

La Fuerza Unida:Fuerza Unida was formed in 1990 when one of the Levi's Strauss factories on the South Side of San Antonio closed, leaving over 1,150 workers without jobs and with unjust severance pay. As a result of the plant closure, the women organized themselves to demand fair compensation from Levi's, as well as better working conditions for workers in other factories. Through organizing efforts, Fuerza Unida has become involved in many other social struggles, working on issues of women's empowerment for self-sufficiency, women's and labor rights, immigration, environmental issues and health education. Fuerza Unida Webpage

Jolom Mayaetik: “We are tsotsil and tseltal indigenous artisan women of the Highlands region of Chiapas, Mexico, who have been walking together in search of new possibilities that will allow us to strengthen our family and community economy. We participate in social, political, and economic spaces because we believe that the commercialization of our products does not resolve the multiple problems that we confront every day: poverty, marginalization, and racism. Assuming our organizational process, making decisions with regards to our cooperative, and administering it ourselves has allowed us to begin to construct our autonomy.”

Colores del Pueblo:Colores Del Pueblo has been a member of the Fair Trade Federation since 1997. They are dedicated to directly assisting Latin American artisans and farmers by providing a market for their beautiful hand crafted products in North America. Colores buys from democratically organized, artisan-founded cooperatives and pays them a fair price, thus enabling their communities to prosper from the grassroots up.

This relationship also gives indigenous peoples an incentive to continue their important cultural traditions of weaving, basketry, and ceramic making. The U.S. consumer also benefits because it involves them in a partnership which sustains rather than exploits the rich craft heritage of Latin America and addresses the problems of poverty at the community level first.

Marigold Gateway to India:Marigold - Gateway to India brings clothing, accessories, home decor, jewelry, gifts and furniture to Austin.. all from India! Visit Marigold soon to see newly arrived items! Fashionable Dresses, Block Printed Cotton Tops, Crinkle Skirts, Homespun Kurtas and Shirts for men, Bed Linens, Traditional Indian Jewelry, White Cotton Clothing for Men & Women, Embroidered Kashmir Wool Shawls, and much more. We also have a new collection of our very popular vintage silk saris!Marigold Gateway to India webpage

Palestine Online Store - Women in Hebron

Palestine Online Store works with a number of women’s cooperatives, fair trade suppliers, and artisan families in Palestine. Our wide network has enabled us to present a variety of products, including handcrafts, groceries, body care products, informational resources, music, and solidarity items. Palestine’s most notable export is its prized extra virgin olive oil. Despite a military occupation and restrictions on free movement, Palestinian families cling to their ancient olive trees and harvesting them has always been a labor of love. The simple act of buying a bottle of Palestinian olive oil goes a long way in helping them stay on their land.

Women in Hebron is a Palestinian nonprofit fair trade cooperative under the Idna Cooperative Association for Embroidery and Handicrafts. The 120 women who produce the items that are sold come from across Hebron district from eight cities and villages. The proceeds from sales provide themselves and their families with additional income that could not otherwise be obtained through part-time employment.Their work is based on the idea that developing Palestinian handicrafts is more than just an income-generating project. It is in of itself an act of community-strengthening, of honoring the role of women in our society, and a means to show sumud – steadfastness – in the face of the occupation of Palestine and the harm it has done to the people of Hebron.

Mega Cooperativa de los Saraguros

​UPAVIM - Unidas Para Vivir Mejor is a cooperative of approximately 80 women who live in a marginalized community on the outskirts of Guatemala City. The women in the organization are all mothers and homemakers, some widows, and some abandoned. Many are the sole providers of economic support for their families.

The mission of UPAVIM is to empower the women in the community. They strive to do this by improving the quality of life for themselves, their families and the whole community through access to UPAVIM's programs. These include education and employment opportunities, health and child care services, and personal and professional developmental programs.

Know that every purchase makes a difference and greatly enhances the quality of life for these women, their families and their community through the numerous programs, schools & services run by UPAVIM. When you empower women, you grow a community.

Tamales from the women of Posada Esperanza make their debut at the Women and Fair Trade Festival of Austin Tan Cerca de la Frontera.

Posada Esperanza, a program of Casa Marianella, is a shelter for child refugees and their mothers in East Austin. Women from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras have joined together to craft tamales, in their various styles and for vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike.

Women from Ethiopia will also be offering coffee prepared in the traditional Ethiopian way.

Your donations will be used to start the process of coop formation and to purchase the materials needed to prepare tamales for all the fiestas and celebrations of the coming Holiday Season.

The women of Posada Esperanza welcome the support of the amazing people who attend the Women and Fair Trade Festival and believe that they can share the vision of dignity and self-sufficiency that the women of Posada Esperanza hold for themselves and their children.